Winterfold 2026
Group Chat
Daring endeavors of a small British ensemble who ventures into the unknown in search of earthly delights.
Pete Roth must have been well aware of the fact that by inviting a world-renowned artist to join this combo he was effectively shooting himself in the foot, because fans would focus on Bill Bruford’s presence in the trio’s ranks, rather than on their music. On the other hand, could there be a better way to endorse his own talents than enticing the legendary drummer out of retirement not only to work together in concert but also to write together with him and bassist Mike Pratt? Being educators, all of them felt – given the level of improvs in what transpired once the puzzle pieces fell in place – that a studio album might sound too didactic for the fluidity which existed in the moment: as a result, taking the seven fresh cuts and a couple of covers to the stage seemed like an immaculate opportunity to capture their magic.
With “space, trust, and the shared sense of direction” – as the leader’s liner notes describe the gist of his perspective – dictating the flow of the tune, “Group Chat” emerged as a unique offering, and not for nothing did three shadows converging into a single one become the collective’s telltale symbol. For all their unity, however, it’s individual passages that drive the interplay, and the selfless attempts to surprise their bandmates – and themselves too, let alone the listeners – contribute to making this record outstanding. There’s life and joie de vivre in the trio’s pure jazz-rock – as opposed to fusion – approach, which “Part Of The Charm” so elegantly expresses in terms of both infectious melody and frisky arrangement. For the ensemble to get there, though, “Full Circle” reaches for lighthearted funk, where first the flurries of notes Roth is peeling off his guitar pepper up Pratt and Bruford’s exquisite grooves, and then Pete’s fluid lines weave in and out of Mike’s muscular rumble and Bill’s dry rimshots, thus setting the scene for the entire show, with solo spots an integral part of the passionate outcome.
The band pretend to turn minimalistic, almost mechanical on the titular number before turning on their rapturous unpredictability, not least rhythmically, to the max. Yet no amount of economical riffs, which flutter around the shifting beats and slide into the blues closer to the coda, can prepare any sonic spectator for the scale of the combo’s undaunted imagination when they delve into Dvořák’s “From the New World” symphony. Bill’s sticks sculpt its opening until Pete and Mike’s instruments join in to add vignettes to the vibrant tapestry, and suspense and expectancy reign supreme in this little epic rendered avant-garde without losing its dynamic scope. Still, a different kind of thrill is applied to “Summertime” to bestow wondrous frills on the Gershwin perennial that goes off on a few tangents, and the elegiac, if deeply resonant, “Dancing With Grace” follows it quite logically, offsetting the robustly boisterous and romantically expansive jive of “Looking Forward To Looking Back” that precedes the two. With the sprawling “Original Sin” exuding predatory, heavy allure in its harnessing of the spaces between exotic patterns, and “Hard Case, Soft Centre” gaining momentum to edge towards the finale, resisting the trio’s spells would feel futile – surrendering to their magnetic shimmer would be more advisable.
While the audio half of this CD-and-DVD package can perfectly reflect how tasty it all is and how much gusto there is, the visual portion of “Group Chat” will reveal an extra level of the musicians’ mirth. The footage brings out the furtive glances they cast at one another and the wide smiles on their faces: a contrast to the black-clad band’s attempts to blend into the also-black backdrop to let the audience concentrate on the performances. An enormously entertaining, albeit intellectually challenging, enterprise.
*****
